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Based on the evidence at hand, Michael Jordan is probably the most competitive athlete the NBA has ever seen but Kobe Bryant managed to give him one hell of a run for his money over the course of his time in the league.
I’ve come across countless stories concerning Bryant’s incredible work ethic—Jordan once said The Black Mamba was the only person who’s ever worked as hard as he did—whether it was spending a full hour shooting mid-range jumpers from the same spot in the gym or playing one-on-one games with his teammates until someone scored 100.
It’s no secret Bryant loved to win, and while he may not be in the league anymore, he hasn’t lost his competitive spirit, as we recently learned when he led his daughter’s middle school team to an 88-point win earlier this week.
Kobe followed up that Instagram post with another one in which he seemingly ripped into a player—who, again, is in middle school—for not having her priorities straight because she decided to go to her dance recital instead.
At first glance, it appeared the picture was taken at a recent tournament, but in reality, Bryant was actually reflecting on a past one in which his team came away with a disappointing fourth-place finish.
Unfortunately, plenty of people around the internet assumed he was tearing into the player in question for missing a game this week, and as a result, the former Laker hopped on Twitter to clarify his comments.
sorry if it came across as a slight, trust me it wasn’t. I was just giving the reason for her not being in the pic. They chose not to smile for the pic I actually followed their lead. Our team has become family and this includes the 7th player
— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) September 11, 2019
Nah fam I was just explaining why she wasn’t in the pic. Most of my kids on the team played and still play other sports including my daughter so it’s all love. Don’t misunderstand the message.
— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) September 11, 2019
If you’ll excuse me, I have to go put my torch and pitchfork away.